T-Mobile has struck content deals with Universal Music International and Sony Music Entertainment to sell downloads through cell phones.
The Mobile Jukebox service, unveiled today (March 18) during the CeBIT technology show in Hanover, Germany. will kick off next month. Initially, it will offer about 200 current hits from the two record companies. Subscribers will be able to download songs in T-Mobile’s Mobile Mix format via its t-zone multimedia entertainment service.
Mobile Mix songs are edited down to 90-120 seconds in length and take about two minutes to download. They can be played on existing 2.5G mobile phones and are not of CD quality.
Users in Britain, Austria and Germany with the 6230, 6600 and 7600 line of Nokia handsets will be able to access the tracks. Other manufacturers will be announced shortly.
When the next-generation mobile phones become widely available at the end of this year, Mobile Jukebox customers will be able to download full-length, CD-quality tracks, T-Mobile says.
T-Mobile has not disclosed prices for the downloads, but sources expect them to cost about $4.50 a track. Customers are able to browse and listen to clips before they commit to a download.
